4 foreigners arrested for stealing 300,000 baht of gold near Bangkok

Police arrested four foreigners from the Middle East yesterday for stealing gold necklaces worth nearly 300,000 baht from the Aurora gold shop in the Pantip Plaza shopping centre in Nonthaburi province near Bangkok.

According to officers at Rattanatibate Police Station, the four foreigners were family members and worked together to distract gold shop staff and steal the valuable items. The theft took place on October 21 and officers managed to arrest the four foreign thieves yesterday, Thursday, October 26.

The four suspects were seen on the mall’s security camera entering the gold shop. Staff revealed that the group pretended to be potential customers with an interest in gold necklaces and asked to see several types of gold necklaces. Staff showed the men the gold by placing them on the counter and allowing them to hold and try on the accessories.

Some of the suspects continued to talk to the staff while others stole the gold chains from the counter. The staff did not notice that some necklaces were missing because there were so many on the counter.

Before leaving, the foreign thieves told staff that they needed to exchange some currency and would promptly return to buy the gold necklaces in Thai baht. The suspects then left the shop and fled the scene in a taxi that another suspect had prepared outside the mall.

A staff member said she checked the gold necklaces after the foreign thieves left and discovered that three necklaces were missing and reported the matter to the police.

Police tracked down the foreign group and found that they had sold the necklaces to an antique shop for 190,000 baht. They exchanged the money for US dollars for about US$5,300. Officers were able to locate them at an accommodation in Bangkok’s Bang Sue district and arrested them.

The four suspects are identified as:

• Fahmi Jamal Fareed Husain
• Thurayya Sharif Abdel-Khaleq Alabsi
• Mariam Fathi Jamal Husain
• Mohammad Fathi Jamal Hussein

The four Middle Eastern suspects have been charged with conspiracy to commit theft. The penalty is up to five years in prison and a fine of 20,000 to 100,000 baht under Section 335 of the Criminal Law. Their visas will also be revoked.

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